I was invited to the Project 2049 Institute’s conference at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace near Dupont Circle.
Some of my take-away: the U.S.-Japan alliance is a cornerstone for security in the region; Japan plays a vitally strategic position in the region for the U.S.; Japan is seeking increased strike capabilities in case of a decoupling of alliances; non-traditional security issues, such as natural disasters and cyber threats have shifted the geographical understanding; treaties such as the San Francisco Peace Treaty are rooted in context and can be challenged (such as by China); base realignments and dispersions have multiple layers to consider; one of China’s concerns in the East China Sea is surveillance by Japan and U.S.; China’s greater strategic ambitions in the region are not entirely clear, though it may entail in part clear access to the western Pacific; there are multiple historical narratives and historical whitewashes in the region, which are considered a symptom of tectonic interests rather than cause; discussions need to focus on a frame of human rights rather than historical abuses, for which all nations are culpable; Japan’s engagement of ASEAN, which is made up of distinct parts and interests, is overdue.
Of particular note was Dr. Satu Limaye, an East-West Center Senior Advisor (the “mother ship is on the UH campus). We spoke briefly after the meeting and he invited me for a chat.